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0 pointsbitpush7d ago0 comments

Anthropic provides subsidized access to Claude models through Claude Code. It is well understood to be 'a loss leader' so that they can incentivize people to use Claude Code.

OpenCode lets people take the Claude-Code-only-API-Key, and lets them use it in a different harness. Anthropic's preferred way for such interaction is getting a different, Claude API key (and not Claude Code SDK API key).

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A rough analogy might be something like getting subsidized drinks from a cafe, provided you sit there a eat food. What if someone says, go to the cafe and get free drink and come sit over at our cafe and order food. It is a loose analogy, but you get the idea.

0 comments

siva77d ago

> It is well understood to be 'a loss leader'

You have zero proof for this claim. It's like people read somewhere that stuff and keep spitting it out again and again without understanding..

hirako20007d ago

If it wasn't the case, the Claude API pricing would be the same, $200 for unlimited use. But it's metered.

We don't know if Claude Code bleeds money for every user that touches it. Probably not. But the different pricing is a strong enough clue that it's an appeal product with subsidized tokens consumption.

siva77d ago

API is intended for a different audience - companies with a big pocket who aren't as price sensitive as private users. So the pricing will be different than for a private subscription.

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HDThoreaun7d ago

There is huge value in getting people to subscribe to recurring payments. Giving people a discount to do so makes sense and does not mean that the subscription service loses money.

extr7d ago

> If it wasn't the case, the Claude API pricing would be the same, $200 for unlimited use.

How do you figure? That doesn't make any sense to me.

theshrike797d ago

It's not a loss leader - as in they're not making a loss on the subscription.

Because they control the harness(es) and the backend, they can optimise caching and thus the costs to them.

siva77d ago

I'm giving up. Caching is optimized server-side on a product for which they can't control the client.

bitpushOP7d ago

Loss leader doesnt mean $0. Loss leader means it is subsidized to attain another, larger goal.

tietjens7d ago

Thank you, I understand all of this. My question was about the reference to "petty and bitter."

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 pointsbitpush7d ago0 comments

Anthropic provides subsidized access to Claude models through Claude Code. It is well understood to be 'a loss leader' so that they can incentivize people to use Claude Code.

---

0 comments

siva77d ago

> It is well understood to be 'a loss leader'

You have zero proof for this claim. It's like people read somewhere that stuff and keep spitting it out again and again without understanding..

hirako20007d ago

If it wasn't the case, the Claude API pricing would be the same, $200 for unlimited use. But it's metered.

siva77d ago

API is intended for a different audience - companies with a big pocket who aren't as price sensitive as private users. So the pricing will be different than for a private subscription.

1 more reply

HDThoreaun7d ago

There is huge value in getting people to subscribe to recurring payments. Giving people a discount to do so makes sense and does not mean that the subscription service loses money.

extr7d ago

> If it wasn't the case, the Claude API pricing would be the same, $200 for unlimited use.

How do you figure? That doesn't make any sense to me.

theshrike797d ago

It's not a loss leader - as in they're not making a loss on the subscription.

Because they control the harness(es) and the backend, they can optimise caching and thus the costs to them.

siva77d ago

I'm giving up. Caching is optimized server-side on a product for which they can't control the client.

bitpushOP7d ago

Loss leader doesnt mean $0. Loss leader means it is subsidized to attain another, larger goal.

tietjens7d ago

Thank you, I understand all of this. My question was about the reference to "petty and bitter."

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse